"Getting Your Money's Worth", 60 Seconds focusing on Value. With TV talk show host Judith West, a well-known New York manufacturer and longtime guest on other TV and radio talk shows. Added value for your dollars and your life. http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com en-us Copyright 2008 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss bachmaster@bachorgan.com (Dan Long) 60 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-023.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-023.wmv Economist and New York Times columnist Ben Stein uses economics to write about lessons in love. High-quality bonds consistently yield better returns than junk. And, so it is with high-quality love, if you find yourself in a junk relationship, sell immediately. Junk is junk. Realistic expectations are everything. Just as you can't get rich overnight, you can't go from nowhere to having someone head over heels in love with you. Long-term investment pays off when you have a winner. The impatient day player may have a few good days but years of agony in the world of love. When you have a winner, stick with it. Whether in love or in the stock market, winners are to be prized. Education Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:14:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-022.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-022.wmv Gail Collins in the New York Times writes about listening. She tells this story: Once upon a time, there was a woman searching for a man ready to commit. She met Chuck, who told her he was planning to devote the rest of his life to saving endangered wildlife in the Antarctic and that he would soon be leaving for the South Pole. But Chuck asked the woman if she'd like to go out. After one date, the woman told her friends that she had just met the man she was going to marry. She had simply ignored the part about Chuck leaving for the Antarctic. After six weeks of heavy dating, Chuck flew to the South Pole and the woman, she never heard from him again. Education Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:13:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-021.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-021.wmv New York Times writes of a secret society of 30 million. That's the population of the world of social networking. What does friend mean when the connection is accidental on myspace or facebook? The columnist suggests that so much social networking takes away from actual human friends. Sure, friends share. You tell about a movie, a book, or a restaurant, and, yes, even that your friends should listen to Getting Your Money's Worth at 1010 WINS. It's straight sharing, friend to friend. The Times asks what about an anti-social website, a place where you can be away from all your other millions of friends, just like in real life. Education Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:12:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-020.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-020.wmv Memories can often be linked to miles spent on the road. Bryan Gruley wrote in the Wall Street Journal of his parents 1994 Bonneville, big as a boat, red as a tomato. The Bonneville was the car that hauled the kids to school, to volley ball practice and to choir. When the Bonneville had a hundred fifty thousand miles, the son took it over. The v-six engine had spunk, the trunk held the gear and the interior still carried the scent of his father's after shave. The end of the car followed the death of his dad. The son realized that he didn't need the tomato red clunker to remember his parents. Those memories had already shaped his life. Education Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:11:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-019.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-019.wmv You remember your mom. She had eyes in the back of her head. She always knew what you were doing without even turning around. This parent skill would go a long way with today's leaders. Leaders stay too far removed, waiting for news to come to them, says Harvard business professor Jay Lorsch. Think: all those financial leaders who were blind to mortgage related problems at their companies former Mayor Koch regularly asked citizens: How am I doing? It's too easy, said the former mayor, to suffer from pride and arrogance. I always want a report card. Or, at the very least, eyes in the back of my head. Education Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:10:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-018.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-018.wmv James Fallows, print and radio journalist, reminds all of us that in the end we are a collection of our habits. "So," says Fallows, "we really should take time to develop good ones. Some of the ones he suggests are: Don't type instant messages while you drive. Get in the habit of exercise. As you get older, you'll know who is and who isn't. Get in the habit of being happy. All of us have problems we can't control, but you can control how you respond to them. Get in the habit of being excited. It's a big world. No need to be bored. And, frankly, you should break the habit of bearing grudges. Education Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:18:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-017.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-017.wmv Are you looking for ways to cut back on your spending? Jeff Yeager, author of The Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches, suggests: have buyer's remorse before you buy. To do this: carry an index card listing your dumbest purchases. Force yourself to read it before buying anything. Make buying difficult. The best way to do this: put your credit cards away and pay cash. Try a mandatory one week waiting period before making unnecessary purchases over $10. Take a designated cheapskate with you when you shop just like a designated driver when you party. And lastly, says the ultimate cheapskate, volunteer at a homeless shelter. You'll see how much you already have. Education Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:15:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-016.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-016.wmv How are your people skills? Success in life is based on more than IQ writes Dan Golman in Emotional Intelligence. What's the best way to learn and relate better to other people? Become a better listener; really hear what people are saying rather than jumping to conclusions? Make a pact with yourself not to respond until you're certain you understand what's been said. When you meet other people, look for clues in their facial expressions to judge what they're thinking. The better you get at this, the better your chances of success. Research has shown that your people skills can be developed throughout your life. Education Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:14:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-015.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-015.wmv New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote of a book: The Mental ABC's of Pitching. Brooks is no pitcher and neither am I. Yet the book's focus on mental discipline impressed me. A pitcher brings a determined mind-set to the game. There are only two workplaces in a pitcher's world: on the mound and off the mound. On the pitching rubber all that matters is the way the ball leaves his hand. Focusing on the task pushes away all other thoughts. The pitcher loses himself in his job. This mental discipline, says Brooks, is as true in the office as on the mound. Business has shifted from the emphasis on self. Today's message: lose yourself in your job or get shelved. Education Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:13:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-014.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-014.wmv In a recent commencement speech, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, asked the graduates, What is the secret of all success? The Mayor answered his question like this: Winston Churchill said success is moving from failure to failure with enthusiasm. After all, Churchill himself, finished last in his class. Michael Jordan was rejected from his high school basketball team. He wasn't good enough. Henry Ford, of automobile fame, you may have driven one of his cars, went bankrupt not once, but five times. Dr. Seuss of child literature fame, tried to publish "Green Eggs and Ham" not once, but twenty three times before a publisher finally gave him a chance. And Elvis Presley. He got an F in music. Education Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:12:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-013.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-013.wmv The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in long, drawn-out back and forth pondering. Consider this: contrary to popular belief, decisions don't drive your long-term success, it's your decisiveness. "When you reach a crossroads, the act of choosing creates power," writes Doug Sundheim, executive coach. When you decide, you create momentum. Success is built on action. "To do" lists are breeding grounds for indecision. Look at your "to do" list. For each item apply the three "d" system. Do it, delegate it or delete it. The more decisive you are, the more confident you become. Education Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:15:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-012.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-012.wmv Jack Mitchell and family run the most successful, independent retail stores. In Hug Your Customer Mitchell describes calling customers to make sure they're satisfied. All stores have a kid's corner with books and snacks. Free coffee, M&M's and bagels are standard. Mitchell says: "Isn't that what you do when friends come to your home?" The philosophy doesn't differ with sales associates described in Hug Your Customer. Happy employees make for happy customers. Hugging permeates this company. On planet earth are six and a half billion people speaking seven thousand languages -- a hug is a universal language. Education Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:14:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-011.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-011.wmv Recently I got a mailer from a large bank announcing their enlarged service department. The only reason for having a customer service department is to deal with all the stuff gone wrong. If your employees give good service, there is no need for a customer service department. But if a dissatisfied customer has to call, that person should be treated respectfully and not left on hold. An angry customer needs to get off the phone liking your company even more. Simon Sinek, founder of Inspire Action, says: Customer service is like ointment. It soothes the itch for a short while, but unless you treat the allergy, the itch just keeps coming back. Education Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:13:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-010.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-010.wmv Are you surprised when you find you've been misunderstood? Don't be. Just because people are hearing you, doesn't mean they're listening to you. Communication doesn't occur when you speak. Doug Sundheim, executive coach, recommends a check-in at the end of every meeting. Each person clarifies what he heard and his understanding of the next step. For clarifying communication, questioning is the best tool. When you're the speaker, do a verbal check-in. Ask if you're being clear? When you're the listener, turn off the small inner voice in your mind, and hold your thoughts. Avoid interrupting. Concentrate. The word listen with the letters rearranged is silent. Education Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:12:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-009.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-009.wmv Do you live in a world where you can't get a real person on the phone, or ever find anyone to help you? Listen to this story. Sadly, my friend had to move her mother to an assisted living facility. However, when they drove up, a valet greeted them by name and walked them down a red carpet where drinks and snacks were served. In short, they felt welcome. At Disney, a client whose stores at the parks I often visited, sales associates wore name tags with their hometown or country. Customers, called guests, would relate. Treating customers like who they are: VIP's, makes them loyal. Customer service is not a department. It's an attitude. Education Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:16:00 -0500 http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/Value-008.htm http://www.gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com/VALUE/Value-008.wmv Are you bogged down with stuff and things to do? In your mind, does busy equal worthwhile? Let go of unproductive activities. Spend time with what you want and with people you like. At times in your life, you may not be able to do all you want to do. But you can always pick up what you put down. Cure yourself of the hurry sickness. Think about doing something each day to simplify your life. And stay out of the line of fire of other people's judgments regarding what you do or don't do, or how you parcel your time and energy. It's your life to de-clutter. Don't take life so seriously that you forget to laugh and have fun. Education Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:15:00 -0500